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AI and the Library

Environmental impact

 

Opinions differ as to how much impact AI tools have on the environment. Impact on the environment is an important issue for the technology industry in general including the use of web searching, online library tools, cloud based storage and social media. Data centres consume huge amounts of energy and water. Training and maintaining an LLM uses vast amounts of energy and other natural resources.

Kate Crawford's cartography of generative AI provides an in-depth view of people, processes and resources necessary for AI tools to be created, trained and delivered including: 

  • Carbon emissions
  • Water use
  • Energy use
  • Natural resources
  • Extraction and discard of minerals
  • Mining and exploitation
  • Electrical and chemical waste

It is also important to consider:

  • How might AI spread climate change denial and disinformation campaigns?
  • What opportunities might AI provide in solving climate change?

 

Reflection

Consider the following questions to help you reflect on on the environmental impact of AI.

  • What is the environmental impact of AI?
  • Do I think AI use is "justified" in terms of resources consumed?
  • Does this depend on what the AI is being used for? (e.g., used to support systemic change vs individual use)
  • How do the resources consumed by AI compare to other choices I will make today?
  • How can AI help tackle environmental issues? 
  • What misinformation about climate change might help to AI spread?
     

References

Crawford, K. (2021) The Atlas of AI : Power, Politics, and the Planetary Costs of Artificial Intelligence, New Haven and London: Yale University Press.

Crawford, K. (2024) Cartography of Generative AI. Available at: https://cartography-of-generative-ai.net/ (Accessed: 30 April 2025). 

Lacoste, A. et al. (2019) Quantifying the Carbon Emissions of Machine Learning​, arXiv. Available at: https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.1910.09700

Mazzucato, M. (2024) 'The ugly truth behind ChatGPT: AI is guzzling resources at planet-eating rates', The Guardian, 30 May. Available at:  https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/may/30/ugly-truth-ai-chatgpt-guzzling-resources-environment (Accessed: 30 April 2025).